A tiny island in the Balearics may just be home to the best food in the Med. And its beaches are pretty spectacular, too

I
f Formentera — the smallest of the four Balearic islands — is known at all,
it’s known more for what it’s not than for what it is. And what it’s not is
Ibiza. Just 11 miles from the southern tip of the world’s most famous party,
Formentera has no nightclubs and no pub crawls.

Sure, it has a quiet reputation among discerning Europeans for certain things,
including some of the most Caribbean-like beaches in Europe — bleached-white
sands and see-through seas that make you applaud on sight — a protected
shoreline relatively unscarred by development, and a deliciously laid-back,
muy tranquilo vibe. But Formentera is beginning to build up a following for
something else — food.

Which means its willingly captive clientele of wily old locals and hippies,
and an older, post-Ibiza crowd who are more interested in spending their
disco money on something less exhausting, are punctuating their long days on
an idyllic island